Bhutan Overland
Slowly, By Road
Thimphu, Punakha and the Tiger's Nest hike, reached overland from Bagdogra.
Consult Our Travel PlannerJourney Highlights
- Cross the border on foot at Phuntsholing, then climb 176 km into the clouds towards Thimphu.
- Spend two nights in Thimphu, visiting the giant Buddha Dordenma, the weekend market, and the archery grounds where the dances matter as much as the hits.
- Drive through Dochula Pass, where 108 chortens stand in a ring with the eastern Himalaya stretching across the horizon on a clear morning.
- Visit Punakha Dzong, set at the meeting of two rivers and regarded as Bhutan’s most beautiful building.
- Embark on the iconic day hike to Taktshang (Tiger’s Nest), dramatically perched above a 900-metre drop.
- Pause halfway at the cafeteria to enjoy a traditional cup of salted butter tea during the climb to Tiger’s Nest.
- Experience Thimphu’s unique evenings with no traffic lights, only a white-gloved policeman directing traffic like an orchestra conductor.
Thimphu, Punakha, Paro
Serene & Unhurried
7 Nights / 8 Days
Priced to Your Brief
Local Hotels & Lodges
Monasteries & Mountain Roads
Experience Overview
No traffic lights in the capital, a king the country actually likes, and a monastery glued to a cliff at 3,120 metres that you reach on your own two feet. This journey goes overland from Bagdogra through Phuntsholing, the way the geography intends, so the road does the acclimatising for you.
Two nights in Thimphu take in the giant Buddha Dordenma and weekend market, before Dochula Pass and its 108 chortens lead to Punakha’s riverside dzong. Paro closes the trip with the Tiger’s Nest day hike and a gentler day at the National Museum and town.
The route climbs from the plains through forest that changes species outside the window, into Thimphu’s prayer-flagged altitude, then down into Punakha’s warm valley before Paro’s pine and prayer-wheel trail up to Taktshang. Everything — permits, hotels, both mountain passes — is arranged before you leave home.
Some moments are built for lingering: standing among the 108 chortens at Dochula at 8 am, breath visible, Himalaya lined along the horizon; the first full view of Tiger’s Nest from the cafeteria viewpoint, teacup in hand; and a Thimphu evening with no traffic lights, only a white-gloved policeman conducting cars.
Built for travellers who want mountains with meaning — couples, small families with kids over ten, and parents you want to give something quieter than Europe. Not for anyone allergic to long drives, honestly billed as a road trip, or travellers who need nightlife; Thimphu sleeps early and so will you.
Everything you
need to know
Do Indians need a visa for Bhutan?
No visa — Indian passport (or voter ID) holders travel on an entry permit instead, and Bhutan levies a daily Sustainable Development Fee for Indian guests. Permits, the fee paperwork and route clearances for Thimphu, Punakha and Paro are arranged before you travel; you just carry your documents.
How fit do I need to be for Tiger's Nest?
Why go overland instead of flying into Paro?
Ready to Photograph
the Bhutan
Taktshang monastery clinging to its cliff face, framed through fluttering prayer flags from the trail viewpoint, morning mist below.